Anyone use a dehydrator to dry fruits/veggies and other foods?

[CarolJ]

I bought a dehydrator a few weeks ago. My plan was to use it mostly for drying my herbs since my herb garden is overflowing. However, last night, I had a lot of fresh strawberries - and I ended up making strawberry leather, plus I dried some sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, apples and oranges.

Oh my goodness! It was so delicious! Two of my granddaughters were visiting, and I had to send them home with a container of dried fruit and leather each. No sugar - just simple dried fruit.

Now I'm looking forward to drying vegetables from our garden, too.

Anyone else make their own dried foods? Would you like to share your favorites?

 

[chicken-whisperer]

I hope this doesn't gross you out but my favorite is beef jerky. I even bought a electric slicer to make thin strips.

 

[amillecay]

my brother has one and boy do I love it! he has made a lot of trail food for us when backpacking like spaghetti (probably the best I have ever had), fruit roll ups, beef jerky (I think he has made that), and several other things with fruits and what not,

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

We do! This is a great resource for drying food http://www.dehydrate2store.com/helpfultips/ Beef jerky is our favorite as well

 

[MrandMrsDavis]

Just starting this adventure too. Found a book that a friend had Mary Bell's Complete Dehydrator Cookbook. Just came in the mail today. I've been drying my herbs for years on screens. My friend does corn and other veggies too. Another fun way to preserve the harvest. Looking forward to digging into my book.
Cheers!
Melissa

 

[MI chickens]

We have been using one for over 15 years. Love to cut cherry tomatoes in half and dry. Also, dried zucchini chips are excellent. If you slice and sprinkle with seasonings like garlic powder, italian seasoning, etc. they are addictive. Blueberries are wonderful dried - we love them added to oatmeal and cereal, muffins, etc. Something we tried this year was celery. Cut in slices - when dry tastes wonderful but also good for crushing and adding for flavor.

 

[CarolJ]

I've dried fruits so far - apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple, pears, strawberries. I put some grapes in last night - and they're still not dried! However, the dehydrator book lists 22-30 hours for drying them. So they've got till in the morning. The two granddaughters that came over the first time wanted more. Dried bananas are their favorites. The fruit leather is great, too.

I've dried some of the herbs from my garden, and I'm eager to try the other items everyone has listed here.

 

[flgardengirl]

I have a dehydrator but mostly use it just to dry herbs. I have used it for banana chips once and they turned out good. DH always does jerky in the oven even though I guess he could just use the dehydrator. Ours isn't anything fancy. I think it has about 6 trays that stack and its round. I have had it since 1997 and it still works perfectly.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I make jerky mostly. I have done bananas, strawberries, blueberries (didn't like those, they shattered when I tried to bag them), and apple slices. Oh the apple slices - heavenly! You can sprinkle cinamon and sugar on the apples before dehydrating if you want, it is really tasty, just remember that the apples will taste sweeter after dehyrating because the sugars concentrate. I dried Sweet Sixteen apples once and they were so sweet my husband couldn't eat them, more for me!

But I also dry my excess tomatoes - I don't grow enough to can them. I spray the tray with olive oil to keep them from sticking too badly. I just cut the tomato in half and pull out the "guts" - that is the seeds and stuff. I used to hate tomatoes, but since I started doing this, I find I can eat them and even enjoy them in some stuff. I slice them about 1/4" thick and lay them on the trays. I will sprinkle herbs on some of them - oregano, basil, or even my italian seasoning mix. Some I dry unseasoned. Dry them overnight till they are crispy.
You can use dried tomatoes as a tomato paste if you crush it up. Spritz the dried slices with a little water and - viola - you have sun dried tomatoes. I use them in my omlettes with a little diced ham and some chopped onion, they have such a great fresh flavor.

I store my dried tomatoes in the freezer to make sure they don't spoil.

A word of warning, don't dry onions indoors. The onion odor will stay in the room for a long time. My friend dried onions on her three season porch and a year later it still smelled like onion. For the first week, it would make your eyes water it was so strong.

 

[chickmashnoon]

I love to dry out mushrooms whenever they go on sale. they are awesome to throw in soups or stews, reconstitute and put in casseroles, or crush to a powder to use as a flavorful thickener for gravy or pasta sauce. fruit dries pretty good too, herbs, lemongrass for tea, mint, sage, orange peel from the zester, haven't done jerkey yet- guess i will have to soon!